


Changing Paths

by TheFairieQueen



Category: D.Gray-man
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Magic, Faeries - Freeform, Fairies, Fantasy, Friendship, Gen Fic, Magic, fae
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-19
Updated: 2018-03-19
Packaged: 2019-04-04 10:39:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14018478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheFairieQueen/pseuds/TheFairieQueen
Summary: Link was just trying to get through the woods.  But these woods are enchanted, and the path keeps changing.  Maybe a faerie can help him find his way.  Fantasy/Faerie AU.





	Changing Paths

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Jellyfishflan](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Jellyfishflan).



> Part of an exchange I did, and a gift for Jellyfishflan! <3 (I know it took forever, but hopefully it was worth it!)

It was dark beneath the trees. The woods were heavily shielded from the light of the sun, and even with it being late summer the air felt strangely cool.  
  
It was also strangely quiet.  
  
There was often talk about the woods, and how they were not normal. They were said to be filled with strange creatures and magic that made travelers wary of the area; there was a path to guide those who were brave or skeptical, but even still most people opted for longer routes to avoid the woods all together.  
  
Howard Link was a skeptic, and therefore saw no need to take a longer route. The path would do just fine.  
  
Link was a scholar, and not prone to being overly superstitious. He was still _cautious_ , though. Magic was commonly used throughout the country by mystics and witches, and the existence of the fae was not questionable. Such beings did exist, though they often kept themselves isolated from humans, hidden somewhere far behind the reach of normal man, and in their own community.  
  
Link himself had never crossed paths with a faerie of any kind, and he didn’t really plan to. He had heard that they could range from being an innocent trickster to a cold-hearted monster.  
  
Either way, they weren’t to be trusted.  
  
Link exhaled, and glanced at the map he had brought with him. He was traveling to a city that was on the other side of the woods – one where he would be going to study the physics of magic. Not _practicing_ magic – merely studying it, and the science behind it. Link had recently been accepted into an academy for scholars, and a prestigious one at that. It of course required him to move, but that had been no issue; the other city Link had come from had not been a place he had intended on remaining in forever, and this new city would offer him far more opportunity to further his studies.  
  
Slipping the map into his bag, Link continued down the path. A few people had warned him to be careful; in the past, travelers had gone missing in these parts. While Link didn’t doubt fae could be present, he was hesitant to say that the path was _that_ dangerous. It did exist for a reason, after all.  
  
Besides, Link didn’t want to travel for an unnecessary length of time. He already was pressed enough as it is before the academic year was to start.  
  
As he walked on, Link frowned. He pulled out the map again. Ahead of him, the path split off into two more paths. However, when Link looked at the map…there was no split of any kind. It was supposed to be one single path.  
  
_‘Odd,’_ Link thought, as he tried to determine which path to take. He glanced up, trying to gage the sun’s position through the branches. Unfortunately, the leaves were so dense that Link couldn’t tell the position of the sun, or determine any cardinal directions that way.  
  
Well, he was coming from the east, and one path – the right – branched off to the south. And Link wanted to go more north, so logically the left path made the most sense.  
  
Link started down it. He kept his eye open to see if there were any sort of landmarks he might recognize from the map, but as he continued on the area only grew darker, and things looked more…unfamiliar. Otherworldly. There was an odd energy to the place that was beginning to send a chill down Link’s spine, and made him question whether he should turn around and take the other path.  
  
Link did so, and stopped. When he turned back, the path was now breaking off into two paths _again._  
  
A blend of frustration and anxiousness flickered with Link. He did _not_ have time for this nonsense, and he couldn’t afford to get lost. Not in these woods, and not when he needed to get to the next city.  
  
Link turned back. Well, he would just keeping going forward if he had to. Surely he would get out of the woods sooner or later, right?  
  
As he continued on, Link heard something rustle, causing him to stop. His body tensed, and his hand inched toward his bag. In it was a dagger made of silver and iron – a weapon to be used if any malicious fae came about. Link had not anticipated using it, but he wouldn’t hesitate to do so if the situation called for it.  
  
Link remained quiet, trying to listen. He still heard rustling, and the sound of someone…grunting? Almost as if they were trying to move something.   Link debated on whether he should inspect just what it was he was hearing; on one end, it could have been some kind of trap. But at the same time…it could have been a person. Hurt or in trouble.  
  
Sighing, Link felt himself cave. As much as he wanted to keep moving, his conscience wouldn’t let him risk leaving an innocent person alone and in harm’s way.  
  
Warily, Link followed the noise. It took him a few more paces down the path, and was coming from just beyond several bushes. Just beyond them, he caught sight of white that stood out from the stark darkness of the woods-  
  
Hair. White hair. Hair that belonged on a young man.  
  
At least, he looked like a young man – or boy? A teenager really. He was fair-skinned to the point that was almost ghostly, and his hair was like snow. His eyes, from what Link could tell, were also an odd color: silvery-gray that was flecked with violet.  
  
But, what stood out most to Link was…the markings. The red pentacle on the boy’s face.  
  
The strange boy didn’t appear to notice Link though; he was too preoccupied trying to get out of what Link now could see was some kind of clasp locked onto his leg. In a way, it almost resembled a bear trap without the spikes; it was chained to the ground, and looked as though it had been planted there….  
  
And it was iron. Iron to trap faeries.  
  
Link moved, but a twig snapped beneath his foot. The strange boy heard, and his head whipped to look over in Link’s direction, eyes widening slightly.  
  
Link froze, unsure of what to say or do. The strange boy was the first to speak. “Hey! Can you help me get this off?” He asked, voice somewhat desperate. “Please, this thing is _burning!_ ”  
  
The plea caught Link off guard. He knew some fae could like quite well, but the words sounded terribly genuine. Link’s gut instinct was to help, but his rationale kicked him, telling him to wait. He kept a neutral expression as he eyed the fae. “How do I know I can trust you? You’re a faerie, are you not?”  
  
The faerie boy looked like he wanted to face palm. “Ugh, yes, but I’m not going to do anything to you if you help me get this off!” He tried to reason, as he looked at Link. “ _Please_ – I didn’t see it because it was hidden under the leaves, and I can’t get it off-“  
  
The begging made Link falter. He sighed, knowing that he couldn’t just walk away even if this were a fae. “Fine,” Link said, as he approached the faerie. He eyed him carefully. “Try one thing, and I’ll make sure you regret it.”  
  
A look of frustration crossed the faerie’s features. “The only thing I’d try is to avoid this again,” He huffed, a tinge of pain in his voice from the iron. “Seriously, it’s _not_ fun-“  
  
“Let me get it off then,” Link spoke, as he glanced at the contraption before kneeling down.  
  
Link eyed the iron trap, and saw where the latch had come down over the boy’s leg. It took a few seconds, but Link was soon able to get the latch to move, snapping it off. As soon as he did so, the faerie boy yanked his leg away from the iron, wincing.  
  
Link looked at the fae. “Are you alright?”  
  
“Ah, yeah – it’ll heal, but it just _hurt_ ,” He explained. “I guess a human put it there or something…”  
  
Link’s expression was pensive. He had heard about humans creating traps for faeries, but hadn’t known of any fae actually getting _caught_ in them. It caused a flurry of mixed emotions to fill him. Fae were unpredictable, but trapping them? What good would that serve?  
  
“Well, I should be on my way since you’re clearly fine now,” Link said, as he stood, starting back onto the path. He remembered he needed to be on the move, and didn’t have time to dawdle.  
  
“Wait!” The faerie started, as he stood.   He stumbled a little, probably from the effect of the iron having been on his leg, but caught up to Link.  
  
Link turned, eyes wary. “What?”  
  
“I owe you a favor.”  
  
Link raised an eyebrow. “A favor?”  
  
The faerie nodded. “Yeah! You know, it’s sort of faerie law – if someone does something good for us, we have to do something for them,” He explained, as he smiled.  
  
Link paused. He’d heard about this faerie law, but hadn’t known anyone to have ever engaged in it before.   What if there was a catch?  
  
When Link didn’t respond, the faerie spoke again. “Oh, I’m Allen by the way,” He introduced. “And thanks – for getting me out of the trap. No idea how long I’d have been there for if you hadn’t had showed up.”  
  
Link’s lips remained pressed into a thin line. “You’re welcome,” He answered carefully. “But I don’t need a favor.”  
  
Allen blinked. “You sure? Because I technically _have_ to do something,” Allen explained as he looked thoughtful. “Though I suppose if you wanted you could hold off and use it for a rainy day, but then I’d have to hang with you until then….”  
  
Link hesitated. Well, he couldn’t exactly have a _faerie_ following him around all the time. Not when he was trying to get through these strange woods so he could begin to further his studies…  
  
Wait.  
  
Link looked at Allen. “Actually, there is something,” He decided. “These woods. The path keeps changing, and I need to get out. Do you know the way?”  
  
Allen nodded. “Yeah,” He said. “Where are you trying to go?”  
  
“Eleria. It’s the city to the north of these woods.”  
  
“Alright, I can get you there,” Allen said. He looked at Link curiously. “Um…sorry, I don’t think I got your name…?”  
  
“It’s Link,” Link spoke, though he briefly wondered after if he should have given a fake name. Didn’t some fae have power over knowing names?  
  
Allen didn’t comment on such, but only smiled. “Okay, well let’s start this way,” He said, going down another path that Link had _sworn_ wasn’t there earlier.  
  
Link frowned, eyes skeptical. Still, he followed.  
  
As they walked along, things were silent. The woods were not filled with the typical sounds of birds and woodland creatures, and there was an ethereal emptiness that caused them to feel eerie.  
  
After a few moments Link spoke up questioningly. “Why is it the paths seem to always change here?” He asked. “Nothing even falls in line with the map I have.”  
  
Allen laughed softly. “That’s because it never stays the same. The path was created to disorient humans so they don’t accidentally cross into the faerie realm,” He explained. “I mean…humans _can_ learn to navigate it. It’s not impossible, but it does take a lot of work.”  
  
A small scowl appeared on Link’s face. It was certainly beneficial to know such a thing, but it was aggravating to think that he could have spent hours just _wandering_ the area like a complete idiot.  
  
Allen turned to glance back at Link. “What’re you going to Eleria for? I hear they have a lot of magic practitioners there.”  
  
“I’m a scholar, so I’m going there to study physics and magic,” Link explained simply.  
  
Allen grinned. “Sounds interesting. I’m sure you’ll be in a good place for it.”  
  
Link didn’t comment further on the topic, but instead shifted it. “What were you doing before you got…er, caught?”  
  
Allen turned back to face forward, as he continued to lead Link down the path. “Ah, I…was actually looking for my golem. He gets lost sometimes,” Allen explained, before sighing. “Hopefully he didn’t get eaten by a cat or something…”  
  
Link raised an eyebrow. A golem getting eaten by a cat…?  
  
“Okay, we’re here.”  
  
Link blinked, confused. But to his shock, he could see the edge of the woods just up ahead.  
  
He turned to Allen, still bewildered. “That fast?”  
  
Another laugh, silvery and bell-like, escaped Allen. “It’s crazy how quickly you can move when you’re not getting repeatedly misled, right?” Allen spoke, as he smiled at Link. “But from here you’ll be okay – just don’t turn around, or the path might shift and you’ll get lost again.”  
  
There was a pause, and Allen looked as though he wanted to add something. Then, before Link could speak, Allen waved his hand and a silver bell appeared; he tossed it to Link. “Here. If you need to get back through these woods you can just ring that, and I’ll come,” Allen offered, and he flashed another smile. “Or if you need anything really.”  
  
Link looked at Allen questioningly. “But, I thought you only owed one favor?”  
  
“I did,” Allen spoke. “But I don’t mind helping friends out if they need help.”  
  
Link paused, somewhat surprised by Allen’s words. _‘Friends…’_  
  
Pocketing the silver bell, Link nodded. “Alright then,” He said, before looking at Allen. “Thank you, Allen.”  
  
“Don’t mention it,” Allen said, before giving a small wave. “Good luck with everything.”  
  
Link nodded, before heading toward the edge of the wood. He stopped as soon as he made it out, and gave one final glance back-  
  
But, Allen was gone.  
  
Link turned forward, and pulled out the bell – the bell that had just been given to him by a faerie of all things.  
  
Link gripped it carefully, and continued on his way. Perhaps he would ring it sometime soon – it would be nice to have a friend in the area.

**Author's Note:**

> Not quite pieshipping, and it became more of a gen fic for me - but I actually really liked that it turned out that way! I haven’t written any gen fics I realized, or fantasy (which is a crime? I MEAN LOOK AT MY USERNAME - I LOVE THE FAERIES). I wish I could have spent more time on making this a longer piece, because it really is fun to worldbuild with fantasy things. But for now, here’s at least one fantasy AU I’ve managed to bust out. XD
> 
> Hope you all enjoyed it!


End file.
